25 July 2008
Police are trained to fight crime but in many cities around the U.S. they are also expected to fight terrorists should the need arise. Where are these terrorists who will threaten us on our own shores? Is it in our best interests for police to be expected to fight crime and still be part of a joint terrorism task force? Where do the priorities lie? I want the police in my city to fight crime and not be torn in two directions. Are there small Homeland Security forces in all major cities? I have all kinds of questions but no answers.
With federal domestic-security grants, many police departments acquired millions of dollars’ worth of hardware and enrolled officers in training courses to detect and respond to a terrorist attack. Once again comes the question of priorities. Homicides, robberies and gang shootings in a number of cities are said to be as serious a threat as terrorism. It seems to me that the federal government has dropped the ball. The police should have to focus only on one problem at a time. Crime fighting seems like it is being diverted to homeland defense. There have been cuts in criminal justice programs at the federal level.
Some officials of the Department of Homeland Security are convinced that Al Qaeda remains determined to strike inside the United States if vigilance is relaxed.
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